


Somewhere Between

by SegaBarrett



Category: Jesus Christ Superstar - All Media Types
Genre: 2000 Movie, Community: cottoncandy_bingo, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-14
Updated: 2014-03-14
Packaged: 2018-01-15 16:25:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 801
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1311427
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SegaBarrett/pseuds/SegaBarrett
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Judas finally gets a question out.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Somewhere Between

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own JCS and I make no money from this, nor is this any reflection on the real historical persons of Jesus Christ and Judas Iscariot.
> 
> Written for cottoncandy_bingo, prompt "better off as friends".

Judas Iscariot was sleeping in a sleeping bag he had probably bought when he was around twelve years old, and needless to say, it hadn’t exactly grown with him. His entirely top half hung outside it, in the dirt, and his head was lying on a pillow that he’d stuck on top of what seemed to be entirely rocks.

It didn’t really matter, though, because he knew he wouldn’t be able to sleep. He told himself that he was keeping watch – that’s what he would have said to the others, too, if they had asked. He was keeping watch to make sure the priests or the Romans or whoever else didn’t come looking around and try to arrest them all.

But really, he wasn’t keeping watch so much as watching over someone.

Watching over the one who he had left his home, his friends and everything he had known to follow.

The blonde man was fast asleep in his own sleeping bag, which seemed a little more suited to his general height, though it wasn’t as if he had run out and purchased it recently. He frowned upon things like that; things like possessions and owning things, owning people. 

Judas sighed. He was thinking about things that he knew he shouldn’t be thinking about. Things that would get him in trouble. Things like the fact that a smoldering jealousy was erupting in him ever since this new woman, Mary Magdalene, joined their camp and started following around his teacher. The woman was an ex-prostitute, but she walked around like such a little girl lost that all of the other Apostles seemed to not be able to get enough of her. But what the hell was that going to mean for the rest of them? People would think they didn’t have any standards left!

And then, once they’d lost the popularity of the mob, the mob would turn against all of them, too. Then what could he do? They would have to run… that was about the best they’d be able to hope for, at least.

“Judas.”

He turned as he heard a voice behind him, and was surprised to see that the man he had been watching over was now watching him. Blonde haired, blue eyed Jesus with his oddly serene expression and gaze that held out that he always knew far more than he ever let on. 

“Hey,” Judas murmured as he rubbed his eyes. “What’s going on?”

“I couldn’t sleep,” Jesus admitted. “Too much on my mind.”

“You and me both,” Judas agreed. “I mean, you know, I’ve been kind of wanting to talk to you alone for a while now, actually.” He looked down at the ground, slowly picking up a stick and beginning to draw doodles in the dirt using it. Anything to avoid looking at the man ahead of him. If, this time, he actually said the words he wanted to say to him, he knew the reaction was very likely destined to be a bad one. 

“You have?” Jesus asked, in a tone of voice that let on that he may have been aware of this already, or maybe not.

“Yeah,” Judas replied, still looking down. “You and I… We’ve been traveling together a while now, and you’ve really… Broadened my horizons. I know that I’m… stubborn… and I don’t always listen, but you really have taught me a lot and I… I thank you for that. But I think… I think maybe we could be closer than what… we are.”

He didn’t dare look up for a long moment. When he finally did, Jesus’ eyes were pensive.

“Judas,” he said kindly. “I’m very flattered that you think of me that way. But that isn’t what all this is about.”

“She seems to think it is,” Judas grumbled bitterly. “Your little…” He trailed off, thinking of a hundred nasty names, most of them having something to do with Mary’s former profession. “Your favorite,” he finally accused lamely, most of the wind going out of his sails.

Jesus put a hand on his shoulder.

“I’m very flattered by her as well. But like I said… That isn’t what this is about. I have a mission that calls me beyond… beyond that kind of relationship. But I will need… what I need is friends, Judas. And right now, I consider you my best friend.”

Judas looked up at him, his heart suddenly fluttering. It may not have been exactly what he wanted to hear, but it… it was something.

His best friend.

“Really?” Judas inquired. The blonde nodded. 

“Sleep now, Judas. We have a long travel ahead of us tomorrow.”

Judas laid back down, wrapping his arms around himself, breathing in the smell of the woods. It was enough for right now. Best friends. It was something.


End file.
